Attention

Does your child worry too much? Is he overly dramatic? Is he self-critical? Things to think about —Perfectionist children (and adults) tend to be worriers. They worry about things that could go wrong, they worry about failure, and they worry about their parents. They look at negative possibilities and turn them into likely probabilities! —Perfectionists are self-critical. Helping your child be less self-critical takes time. Don't be too hard on yourself if your efforts don't bring quick changes.

September 21, 2014 Q: Was Miami's offer for Andray Blatche that bad that he instead signed in China? -- Mike. A: The fact that both Jordan Crawford and Andray Blatche opted for China says plenty about the level of interest from the NBA. Granted, the money in China can be better than the NBA minimum, but a guaranteed minimum deal possibly would have lured one or both. Then there's Ramon Sessions, who got two years guaranteed from the Kings, above the minimum.

Regarding the April 23 op-ed by Jerry Haar, "Income inequality a distraction in curbing poverty": If Prof. Haar is really wealthy and I am really poor, this is not because of some cosmic, random, economic vacuum. The wealthy are doing everything in their commercial, political, social, media, academic and financial power to ensure that I struggle to purchase that Honda, while they build elevators in their garages. Income inequality is a cause of poverty, not some trivial distraction.

The immediate danger to Israel and the world posed by Islamic State is that attention will be diverted from the Iranian nuclear program, which is the true threat to security. Despite the horrific images emerging from Iraq and Syria, we should maintain a realistic agenda and focus on the main issue. The most important strategic goal for world security remains unchanged: preventing a nuclear Iran and stopping an agreement between Iran and the world powers that would fail to supervise its nuclear activity.

Downtown Delray is on the international circuit. The Downtown Development Authority, which is responsible for bringing folks to spend money downtown, will bring home two awards at the International Downtown Association's 60th Anniversary Conference and Tradeshow. During the conference, which is held in September, the authority will bring receive nods for its “Practical Guide for Downtown Businesses” handbook and “Delray's Fabulous Fashion Week.” The handbook, created by city officials, beat out nine other entries in the Downtown Leadership and Management category.

Florida officials must be anticipating some Parrothead-style drinking at this weekend's Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. The state agency that regulates alcoholic beverages and tobacco added the annual street-painting festival to its planned crackdown at other upcoming statewide entertainment events, which include a Jimmy Buffett concert in Tallahassee, the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando and Daytona Speed Week. State regulators will be trying to stop underage drinking and checking to see if local establishments pay the taxes for alcohol sales.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade took a page from comedian John Witherspoon's playbook with his latest fashion move. Wade rocked a pair of pink pants while entering Bankers Life Fieldhouse Thursday for the Heat's series-clinching victory against the Indiana Pacers. He said the reason for the move was simple. "You gotta coordinate," Wade told teammate LeBron James before the game. James responded by saying, "You look like Eddie Murphy in the 80s. " Fans of the Eddie Murphy movie "Boomerang" are familiar with Witherspoon's line about matching his attire.

On July 2, this paper ran an article about the 2011 Florida Legislature's laws that just took effect. I saw a lot of conservative social engineering (laws prohibiting doctors from asking about guns in the home, against saggy pants in the schools and requiring drug screening for welfare recipients), but I did not see anything that could remotely be interpreted as an attempt to improve the job situation in the state. According the latest statistics available from the Department of Labor, the Florida unemployment rate for May 2011 was 10.6 percent.

Keith Diaferia, a man with a tribal tattoo covering nearly all of his face, attracted the attention of a Boca Raton cop, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. No, it wasn't the 54-year-old Boynton Beach man's tattoo that grabbed the officer's attention -- it was the clear crack pipe he lit inside a car at a Boca Raton gas station, according to the report. Guess there's nothing quite like conspicious consumption to get yourself noticed. The car's driver, Jessica Supel, also had some drugs: A liquid which she identified as heroin, five empty needles, baggies with heroin inside, a blue crack pipe, a clear crack pipe and pieces of pills, according to the Boca Raton Police Department's news release . Get the DUHtails at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Kill a cute little puppy? That's exactly what a billboard on U.S. 1 bearing the image of a golden retriever pup suggests: "KILLTHISDOG.com. " But Pets' Broward, the group behind the billboard near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, isn't trying to kill dogs. It's trying to save them. Founder Meredith Bruder is hoping the billboard helps spread the word about Broward's pet overpopulation while driving people to a website where they can learn how to help. "I'm a longtime animal lover," said Bruder, who has three dogs and three cats of her own. "It's in my blood.

More than 50 people from all levels of government packed a conference room on a recent Friday and took turns addressing their mutual concern: the proliferation of "sober homes" in South Florida neighborhoods. "This is a problem that is plaguing all of our communities," Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie said. Sober homes, also known as halfway houses, are supposed to be the finish line for newly recovered addicts. They are set up to help people who complete treatment programs integrate into society by giving them a place to live among peers who also are recovering.

Downtown Delray is on the international circuit. The Downtown Development Authority, which is responsible for bringing folks to spend money downtown, will bring home two awards at the International Downtown Association's 60th Anniversary Conference and Tradeshow. During the conference, which is held in September, the authority will bring receive nods for its “Practical Guide for Downtown Businesses” handbook and “Delray's Fabulous Fashion Week.” The handbook, created by city officials, beat out nine other entries in the Downtown Leadership and Management category.

There were international headlines about Dalia Dippolito's alleged murder-for-hire scheme that targeted her husband in Boynton Beach five years ago. And because of the great media hype, Dippolito wanted the judge to let attorneys question potential jurors individually, about their awareness of the case before her 2011 trial. Palm Beach County Chief Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath's refusal to allow it was a mistake, so Dippolito's conviction and 20-year prison sentence must be tossed because the jury pool was tainted, the 4th District Court of Appeal said Wednesday.

Attempting to grab some attention, Democratic attorney general candidate Perry Thurston has turned to mockery. He's going after incumbent Republican Pam Bondi. Thurston, a Broward state representative, unveiled a website Bondisbungles.com . It highlights what Thurston's campaign manager said are Bondi's top six bungles. It's essentially an online version of the 12-page “Bondi's book of Bungles” that Thurston's campaign distributed to Democratic activists at the state party's Leadership Blue conference and fundraising event in Hollywood on June 28. It shows various quotes or stands of Bondi's, along with a flattering picture.

PALM BEACH GARDENS - Out of nowhere, two men approach Palm Beach Gardens linebackers coach Tyrone Higgins causing some worry. The worry fades when Higgins sees the golden "ND" logo on their polo shirts. Higgins knows who they are here to see. That person is Gardens senior inside linebacker Tevon Coney. Coney, 17, is one of the most sought after prospects in South Florida, and to a degree, the nation. His recruitment has a big following with nearly 30 schools - such as Alabama, Central Florida, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State - offering him scholarships.

Boca Raton Police Chief Dan Alexander knows there are plenty more distractions for drivers than just their cellphones, and he wants motorists to be more careful. "In addition to playing with their smartphones, people still read, eat, put on makeup, shave and brush their teeth while driving," Alexander said. Recently, a woman crashed her car because she was distracted by putting on her shoes, he said. The chief's advice: Consider ways you can limit your distractions when you drive.

It's party-on-the-water time in Boca Raton on Sunday, and law enforcement promises enhanced patrols. Lake Boca will be filled with boats, partiers and music for Boca Bash, an unofficial annual meet-up on the Intracoastal Waterway between the Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road bridges. Officers will be on the lookout for boating under the influence and underage drinking. "Anytime that you get a lot of boats in a specific area and you include alcohol and the sun and dehydration, it's a concern for us," said Jorge Pino of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

There's a lot to like about Dolphins rookie wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the Dolphins' second-round pick from LSU. His sure hands and run-after-catch skills have already made quite an impression on quarterback Ryan Tannehill. “He's a playmaker,” Tannehill said. “Some of the strongest hands I've seen ever since I've been playing football. He's a guy that's going to catch the ball if it's in his area. I've seen him already make some tough one-handed catches in practice. “He stands out as far as his ball-catching ability and he seems like a guy, that once he gets the ball in his hands, he's going to do something with it. It's going to be fun getting the ball to him.” Landry had a good day Tuesday, marked by a pair of nice receptions, including one where he went up and snatched a high pass.